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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Predicting Trait-Environment Relationships For Venation Networks Elong An Andes-Amazon Elevation Gradient, Benjamin Blonder, Norma Salinas, Lisa Patrick Bentley, Alexander Shenkin, Percy O. Chambi Porroa, Yolvi Valdez Tejeira, Cyrille Violle, Nikolaos M. Fyllas, Gregory R. Goldsmith, Roberta E. Martin, Gregory P. Asner, Sandra Diaz, Brian J. Enquist, Yadvinder Malhi
Predicting Trait-Environment Relationships For Venation Networks Elong An Andes-Amazon Elevation Gradient, Benjamin Blonder, Norma Salinas, Lisa Patrick Bentley, Alexander Shenkin, Percy O. Chambi Porroa, Yolvi Valdez Tejeira, Cyrille Violle, Nikolaos M. Fyllas, Gregory R. Goldsmith, Roberta E. Martin, Gregory P. Asner, Sandra Diaz, Brian J. Enquist, Yadvinder Malhi
Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research
Understanding functional trait-environment relationships (TERs) may improve predictions of community assembly. However, many empirical TERs have been weak or lacking conceptual foundation. TERs based on leaf venation networks may better link individuals and communities via hydraulic constraints. We report measurements of vein density, vein radius, and leaf thickness for more than 100 dominant species occurring in ten forest communities spanning a 3,300 m Andes-Amazon elevation gradient in Peru. We use these data to measure the strength of TERs at community scale and to determine whether observed TERs are similar to those predicted by physiological theory. We found strong support for …